Monday, June 12, 2006

I did not intend to take such a long sabbatical without leaving a message on the blog; tremendous workload and a huge change in my life made it impossible for me to update my blog regularly. The unexpected happens to you when you least expect it and that’s exactly what happened. My husband had to move to Dubai for a long term on work and after much contemplation I decided to shift too.

I have moved away:

From my mumma, and my family,

From my country, from my dear Mumbai city,

From the trains and BEST buses and the tiring travel,

From the dirt, the pollution and the chaos,

From the roadside snacks: vada pav and pani puri,

From the late night film shows and the crazy malls,

From hours spent long at Barista and the walks down Worli-sea face,

From night-outs with friends spent gossiping and dreaming about the future,

From family get-togethers and being hounded by hundreds of relatives,

From the crowded and chaotic weddings,

From daily chai-snacks at the office canteen with friends,

From discussing books and movies with friends and the debates and arguments that followed it,

From the numerous smiles at home and office that made every day of mine special,

From mumma and ma-in-law’s constant advices to do some cooking,

From their constant care about me and my health,

From the tasty food both cooked for me every day of my life there,

From the crazy fun bickering with my dear sis-in-law,

From the pampering from my aai and papa,

From the amazing love this lovely place and its people had showered on me in all the years I spent there

I never thought I would and I did. The first week here was the worst in my life. I cried and cried missing everything about home, family and my comfort zone. I made my husband feel so awful and I’m really sorry for that. All my cousins and friends went through the same emotions that I did and they really helped me get comfortable in the new place!

Now a new life and experience awaits me here and I plan to make the most of it. I look forward to:

I think it is absolutely normal for you to feel how you felt. My wife cried for a month after we moved to the US after we got married. And she had never left her mom's house before ... and suddenly, she is married, she has moved into someone else's house, in a different country!!

Life...

For someone who loves being organized and planned in advance, life has taught that one can have none of that how much ever one wants to:-)

I never wanted to live abroad, I tried every possible way to avoid it but now I've completed 3 years of expat life in Dubai.Mumbai, India- My city, my home, my heaven, my love, my lovely country, I don't know how I've survived these years away from you!

I'm trying to get back to my blog to write back about my life and my experiences and yes my thoughts!